Students excel on state assessments
By Erika Massek
October 18, 2006
Last year, the Silver Lake Jr. and Sr. High School seventh and eighth graders and the sophomores and juniors took the reading and math state assessments. The results were higher than the state averages in all categories. Larry Winter, SLHS principal, stated that the state assessments were fifteen or twenty percent better than the state averages.
"Well based on the results, they went great. The results were outstanding for us to top those scores. I really feel good because we thought the state averages would be higher than that. Based on our scores, we thought the state averages would be closer to ours. However, I recall correctly in this building, we were no less than fifteen percent better than the state average on any pre-test and in some cases, we were twenty percent better. That shows how the students, staff, and parents did a great job in putting forth a great effort with great results, " he said.
The juniors took the reading assessments, the sophomores took the math assessments, and the seventh and eighth graders took both math and reading assessments.
Winter commented that last year's group set the bar high.
"Well, I think the pressure is on. I think it is just like the football team is the defending state runner-up, you look at yourself that way and you feel the pressure to do as well again. I think that is the way we will approach the assessments this year is that we are still not at 100 percent, but that is going to be our goal to look to work at that.
"I think it is a challenge every year with a different group of students to make sure that we see that the curriculum helps fit their need and help them to be successful this year. We look at the results, then we look at the low indicators and try to emphasize them a little bit more and any other glitches that we think we found to make students more successful at them," he said.
The students received a pizza party for the impressive state assessment scores. Winter explained the other benefits students get from performing well on the state assessments.
"Well, hopefully the gratification that they did well on a test. I think any time you have the opportunity to take a test and do well on it, it helps you with your confidence and other tests you are going to take, whether that is college prep or whatever that might be. I think the state assessments will go along that line, since students are taking them once a year or in some cases two a year, with the junior high and below. So I really feel that is an advantage for them.
"Second, it is a good indicator of what they have retained throughout a year-long process. The tests are taken in the spring, so the material they may have covered in September is on the test. That's a good indicator. I feel good that they have the knowledge of knowing that they need to retain some information throughout their life," he said.
Winter also stated the benefits the teachers get from performing well on the state assessments.
"They feel great about doing well. The fact that the work they put into trying to help students prepare and present the material that is essential for them to be successful. Evidently, to see students achieve this year makes them feel really good. It is a good indicator about how well the curriculum is taking shape and form with the assessments. There have been big changes in math and social studies, which is going to be tested in a year. We altered some classes for science and altered some curriculum for the reading. Some changes help us see things that students are getting better as a result of the changes we have made, being proud of the fact that we did well," he said.
Here are the state averages of students that scored at Meets Standards or above compared to ours.
Reading
State Silver Lake
7th 78.3% 93%
8th 76.8% 97%
11th 76.9% 98%
Math
State Silver Lake
7th 69.6% 98%
8th 66.1% 92%
10th 58.5% 76%
Students excel on state assessments
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